Squalicum’s Jolie Paz To Compete in the Nike Outdoor Nationals Heptathlon

BELLINGHAM – When you go to a high school track meet in Whatcom County, you’ll see all different kinds of athletes. You’ll see sprinters, long distance runners, jumpers and throwers.

When you go to a track meet that involves Squalicum, you’ll see Jolie Paz running from event to event, not just because she is so competitive, but because her athleticism is so extremely rare that she can usually take first place in multiple events that are incredibly different.

She’s not just a runner, a thrower, or a jumper…. she’s a uniquely skilled athlete that can excel in any event.

Because of this, she competed in her first heptathlon a few weeks ago at Lake Stevens High School against the best athletes in the state of Washington. The heptathlon consists of seven events over two days, with a unique soring system. The events are the 100 meter hurdles, high jump, shot put, 200 meters, long jump, javelin, and the 800 meters.

“A lot of people told me I would be great at the heptathlon,” Paz said. “So, I made sure that I competed at least once my junior year in the events that were new to me, like the javelin, high jump, long jump and the 800 meters.”

She learned quickly how different each event was, especially the 800 meters (nearly half a mile) which she completed in just over two and a half minutes.

“The 800 meter race was one to remember, that’s for sure,” Paz exclaimed with a smile. “My hands got numb during the race, which was something I wasn’t used to. Props to those people that can run the 800 every single day, that’s amazing!”

Although she didn’t take first place in any of the seven events in Lake Stevens, she totaled 4,266 points, which was good enough for fourth place amongst the 32 top Washington athletes that were competing.

She finished second in the 200 meters with a time of 26.11, and also took third in the 100 meter hurdles (14.96) and the shot put (35’6.25″), two events in which she has competed in at the state track meet in each of the past two years.

Doing multiple events was nothing new for Jolie as she discussed how she got into the hurdles her freshman year at Squalicum.

“I started with the 100 (meter dash) my freshman year, but that was kind of boring, and I’m just running in a straight line,” Paz remembered. “I’ve always been very competitive, and I did the hurdles when I was much younger doing the rec-league track meets at Civic Stadium, so I decided to give that a try. We had one other girl on the team doing it, I thought I would be her company and we’ll see how it goes.”

She ended up taking first first place in her first race, and the 100 meter hurdles has been her a favorite event of hers ever since.

Although not a natural high jumper, her standing vertical of over two feet has allowed her to reach 4’8″ in the high jump, but its still one of the events that she knows she needs to work on. Her natural athletic ability should allow for steady improvement in some of the events that she’s not used to, like the high jump, long jump, javelin and 800 meters.

Jolie is not just a track star, as the soon-to-be high school senior is the top offensive threat on the the Storm volleyball team in the fall, and a lockdown defender on the basketball court in the winter, and for her, it’s more than just the competition.

Another sport that has caught Jolie’s eye has been flag football, which started this past winter at Squalicum.

“I get asked a lot to play flag football, which is during basketball season,” she said. “I’m going to stick with basketball, though.”

The friendships that she’s made over the years playing multiple sports has been a highlight for Jolie while competing, one in particular that holds Jolie in high regards is her classmate Gwen Foy.

“I met Jolie because we were put on the same club volleyball team, and we clicked right away,” Foy said. “She is such a light in peoples lives and she truly wants the best for others.”

Not only does Jolie lead by example while on the court, or the track, but she has turned into a role model.

“I had a rough season mentally with volleyball this year and Jolie was always the person I could reach for,” said Foy. “She would give me little phrases during a play that helped me lock in and take the mental part out of it because she knows I had the skill, but needed help on the confidence side.”

“She knows what helps me so whenever we are on the court together I play my best for Jolie because making Jolie proud is the best!”

Jolie also feels it on her end.

“For me, a big part of it is my friends,” said Paz. “My basketball friends are different than my volleyball friends that I normally hang out with. I like it because it allows me to branch out and make new friends.”

Today and tomorrow she will have a full plate, she will be competing in the Nike Outdoor National Heptathlon at the University of Oregon, which is exactly what Jolie prefers.

“I enjoy having a full plate, going from one event to the other,” she said. “I have always liked staying busy, I’ve never been one to run the hurdles and then go home.”

After high school, she hopes to run track in college, and she is also aiming to be a labor and delivery doctor in the future.

“I would loved to be involved with anything that can benefit kids, I really love helping children,” Jolie said.

Whatever the future brings for Jolie Paz, you can bet that she will attack it with the same desire and will that she brings to athletics.